Category Archives: Cruises

Americans onboard hantavirus cruise ship to be repatriated to US

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The 17 passengers to be transferred to a quarantine center in Nebraska to ‘assess them for risk’, as one tests positive and another shows symptoms

The 17 Americans onboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship M/V Hondius have disembarked the vessel after it docked in Tenerife on Sunday and are being repatriated to the US.

Upon their arrival in Spain, medical teams from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awaited and interviewed the passengers, whose identities have not been publicly disclosed and who have not tested positive for the virus, about their exposure on the cruise.

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British paratroopers land on Tristan da Cunha for suspected hantavirus case

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Soldiers dropped oxygen supplies and medical aid to Britain’s most remote overseas territory

• What is hantavirus?

Paratroopers landed on a “golf course covered in rocks” to supply medical personnel and oxygen to Britain’s most remote overseas territory as it deals with a suspected hantavirus case, an army commander has said.

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed on Friday that a British national had disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius to the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where they live, with a suspected case of hantavirus.

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Argentina in spotlight over hantavirus as authorities retrace footsteps of ship’s passengers

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Thirty years after first person-to-person transmission was documented in Patagonia, scientists say global heating could increase world’s exposure

An outbreak in rural communities 30 years ago in the Patagonia area of Argentina led scientists, for the first time, to document person-to-person transmission of hantavirus, which until then had been known only to spread through contact with rodents.

Nearly a decade ago another outbreak, also in Patagonia, provided detailed evidence of inter-human transmission when an infected 68-year-old rural worker attended a birthday party in a small village. The infection spread and resulted in 11 deaths.

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Vanuatu Indigenous leaders raise concerns over plans to build resort for cruise tourists

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Exclusive: Environmental impact assessments are ‘incomplete’, say leaders, and private beach club could harm fragile ecosystems

Indigenous community leaders in Vanuatu have raised concerns over plans by the cruise operator Royal Caribbean to build a private beach club on the island of Lelepa, arguing environmental impact assessments by the company are “incomplete” and “misleading”.

The community leaders outlined the issues in a letter sent to Royal Caribbean on 26 February, which has been seen by the Guardian. The leaders also said the development could harm fragile ecosystems and a nearby Unesco world heritage site.

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Family speaks out after stepbrother emerges as suspect in death of Florida teen on cruise

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Anna Kepner, 18, from Titusville, was found dead of asphyxiation under a bed on a Carnival cruise ship

The grandparents of a high school senior found dead on a cruise ship earlier in November say they fear they have lost two grandchildren after her stepbrother has emerged as a suspect in the case.

“No matter what we find out, no matter what they tell us, it’s not going to bring either one of these children back,” Barbara Kepner, the grandmother of the late 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner told ABC News on Monday.

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Luxury cruise cancelled after 80-year-old left behind on Lizard Island dies alone

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The Coral Adventurer will return to Cairns, as investigations into Suzanne Rees’ death continue

The luxury Coral Adventurer cruise has been cancelled in the wake of the death of passenger Suzanne Rees, who was left on the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island and wasn’t found until the next day.

It will now return to Cairns, as investigations into Rees’ death continue.

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Cruise ships urged to ‘clean up their act’ amid concerns toxic effluent being dumped on Great Barrier Reef

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Environmentalists say marine park waste regulations need updating to limit grey water and exhaust chemicals as passenger cruise numbers rise

Environmentalists and tourism operators on the Great Barrier Reef say authorities must enforce stricter pollution standards on cruise liners visiting the world heritage area amid growth in passenger cruise numbers and concern that ships are dumping toxins into the water.

The Whitsunday Conservation Council says the definition of “waste” used to prevent marine discharge on the reef – which dates back to the 1970s – does not restrict discharge from sulphur “scrubbers” that have become commonplace in the shipping industry.

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Stranded cruise ship finally leaves Belfast for round-the-world voyage

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Villa Vie Odyssey passengers spent four months stuck in Northern Ireland while their vessel underwent repairs

The luxury cruise liner stranded in Belfast for four months has finally set sail after three days marooned in Belfast Lough.

By 8pm the Marine Traffic website showed the Villa Vie Odyssey skirting the Isle of Man, apparently on its original course to Brest in France. Six hours after raising anchor, the company issued a statement confirming the ship was on the way to France at the start of what it described as “an extraordinary journey”. There was no explanation for the delay.

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Stranded luxury cruise ship still stuck off coast of Northern Ireland

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Villa Vie Odyssey set sail on three-and-a-half-year voyage on Monday after repairs but departure delayed again

The luxury cruise liner stranded in Belfast for four months remains anchored off the coast of Northern Ireland after two failed attempts to finally set sail on a round-the-world voyage.

The Villa Vie Odyssey was originally due to embark on a “perpetual” three-and-a-half-year trip on 30 May but was marooned after requiring repairs, leaving passengers stranded in Belfast over summer.

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‘Perpetual’ cruise to leave Belfast after passengers wait four months in port

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Travellers finally board Villa Vie Odyssey for three-and-a-half-year global circumnavigation

More than 100 passengers are due to finally leave Belfast on Monday on a three-year round-the-world “perpetual” cruise after being marooned unexpectedly in the city for four months.

They were supposed to have set sail from the legendary Harland and Wolff dockyards in Belfast, best known as the home of the Titanic, on 30 May.

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Barcelona plans to raise tourist tax for cruise passengers visiting for few hours

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Move targeting those in city for less than 12 hours is latest measure from mayor to tackle effects of mass tourism

Barcelona’s mayor plans to raise the tourist tax for cruise passengers who visit the city for less than 12 hours as part of his continuing efforts to “tackle the consequences of mass tourism” in the Catalan capital.

Jaume Collboni, a member of the Catalan Socialist party, has announced a series of measures designed to reduce overtourism and improve the city’s housing situation since taking office last year.

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P&O Cruises Australia to shut down early next year

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Parent company says P&O would be integrated into its sister line Carnival Cruise Line in March 2025

P&O Cruises Australia will shut down early next year after nearly a century of voyages.

The cruise ship liner’s parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, made the announcement on Tuesday, confirming that P&O would be integrated into its sister line, Carnival Cruise Line, in March 2025 and cease to exist.

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Norwegian Cruise captain refused to let eight passengers who were late reboard ship

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Passengers, who have since rejoined vessel, missed scheduled departure time from São Tomé and scrambled to reunite with ship

Eight cruise passengers had to scramble to reunite with their cruise ship after being left behind in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The passengers, including a pregnant woman and a paraplegic traveller, missed their scheduled departure time from the island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea, about 250km off the coast of Gabon, after disembarking the Norwegian Dawn to take a local tour.

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Cruise firm Carnival UK withdraws threat to fire and rehire more than 900 staff

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Operator of P&O Cruises and Cunard fleets agrees to consult with seafarers’ union over any proposed changes to employment contracts

Carnival UK has committed not to fire and rehire its cruise ship staff, after it was revealed that the company had made provisions to potentially dismiss and re-engage more than 900 seafarers on its P&O Cruises and Cunard fleet.

The cruise operator’s Bermuda-based employment firm last week notified authorities including the UK Insolvency Service of a consultation to vary the terms and conditions of 919 maritime workers across its 10 UK-based ships.

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P&O Cruises and Cunard threaten to fire and rehire more than 900 UK staff

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Cruise firms could dismiss crew unless they accept salary cuts and flexible working arrangements

P&O Cruises and fellow cruise firm Cunard have made provision to fire and rehire more than 900 UK-based crew unless they accept salary cuts and more flexible working arrangements.

The affected crew include officers on the British flagship, the luxury ocean liner Queen Mary 2, and nine other ships operated under Carnival UK, which is part of the $18bn-listed Carnival group.

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Amsterdam to close cruise ship terminal amid effort to restrict tourism

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Move by city council follows action to limit public cannabis use and to discourage wild partying by young Britons

Amsterdam’s city council has decided to close a cruise ship terminal in its centre, in the latest attempt to limit mass tourism in the Dutch capital.

“Polluting cruise ships are not in line with the sustainable ambitions of our city,” said a statement from the centre-right party D66, which runs the city with the social democrats PvdA and GroenLinks environmentalists.

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What’s the Caribbean without its beaches? But the people are losing access to them

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Barring public access to beaches and other sites is not a model for development. Transparency and engagement are needed

Walk along a Caribbean beach, which may stretch for miles, and your stroll is guaranteed to be cut short by an angry hotel security guard. In recent years, the Caribbean has seen a worrying trend of governments readily selling off assets to foreign corporations and political financiers.

Prime real estate, protected land and valuable resources are being relinquished without consideration for long-term consequences. It raises questions about whether remnants of the colonial mindset still prevail in political ideologies and decision-making.

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Majestic Princess: cruise ship passengers disembark in Sydney after mass Covid outbreak

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Covid-positive passengers told to stay away from public transport after biggest single outbreak since Ruby Princess

The Majestic Princess cruise ship – carrying about 800 Covid-19 positive passengers – has docked in Sydney and passengers have disembarked in the city.

The ship docked at Circular Quay early Saturday morning, having sailed from New Zealand. It will depart Sydney for Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.

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Cruise passengers shuttled into Venice by motor boat to dodge big ships ban

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Move by Norwegian Cruise authorised by city’s port authority despite plans to curb daytrippers

A cruise company has circumvented a ban on its ships entering the Venice lagoon by shuttling passengers into the famous city centre on small motor boats.

Norwegian Gem, a vessel of just under 300 metres long and owned by Norwegian Cruise, anchored outside the Venice Lido early on Saturday morning. It then launched several motor boats which between them dropped about 1,500 passengers off in St Mark’s Square before picking them up again in the evening.

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‘We feel we’re not going to get really sick’: why the pandemic hasn’t dissuaded ocean cruisers

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Travel agents report Australians’ interest in cruising increasing 40% each month since June, with one analyst describing it as ‘the Teflon market for travel’

On 16 September, Miami-based Oceania Cruises, a luxury culinary-focused cruise company that is a division of Norwegian Cruise Lines, set an all-time, single-day booking record. It was driven by the introduction of its newest ship, Vista, due to take its first passengers in April 2023. Nearly half the available inventory of Vista’s inaugural season was sold in one day. These were new cash bookings, 30% of which came from people booking with the company for the first time.

It’s hard to know what this means for Australia. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 1.34 million Australians took a cruise in 2018, one of the highest rates in the world by population, yet international travel is currently off limits.

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